


A Little Favor

by twoturtlesinabathtub



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Bonding, F/M, Pre-Relationship, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-15 22:54:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17537873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twoturtlesinabathtub/pseuds/twoturtlesinabathtub
Summary: It’s often the smaller gestures in relationships that end up speaking volumes.





	A Little Favor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [merryfortune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryfortune/gifts).



> A hideously late Secret Santa gift for my good friend! I hope that you like it haha.

Silas let out a rather undignified squawk as his foot got caught in his saddle’s left stirrup. His arms began to flail wildly as he began to fall backwards from the horse’s side, eyes squeezing shut reflexively out of fear. Just as he’d resigned himself to taking a hard fall, he felt a pair of arms come up under his shoulders and knees, sparing him from slamming into the unforgiving ground. “Wh—”

He was expecting a burly member of Corrin’s army to have caught him with such ease. Arthur, perhaps, or Benny. “Hey, thanks!” he said with relief, opening his eyes to look at his savior. To his surprise, though, a pair of timid brown eyes in a round, freckled face peered back at him. “...Mozu?”

Mozu startled when Silas said her name, accidentally dropping him to the ground. The knight let out a little _oof_. “Oh, gosh!” Mozu cried. “I’m sorry, Silas!”

“No worries,” he grunted, a bit winded. He rotated his ankle slowly, letting out a relieved sigh when he realized that he hadn’t twisted it during his first fall. Mozu offered him a hand, helping Silas to his feet. “Whew! That could’ve been much worse.” Silas smiled down at the young woman. “Thanks again.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” she replied, looking off to the side. “It was nothing, really.”

“I almost forgot how strong you are.” Silas chuckled. “I shouldn’t have, considering that we’ve been training together several times a week. You’re doing so well, by the way. With how quickly you learn, I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re soon handling a lance better than I can.”

“Aw, stop, you’re embarrassing me.” She was tugging on one of her pigtails absentmindedly. “I...was actually coming to look for you.”

“Really? How can I help you?”

“I know we were supposed to have training in a little bit, but I can’t go,” she explained.

Silas’s eyebrows rose. “Oh? Why’s that?”

“I volunteered to go hunting today since Keaton and Kaden won’t be able to.”

That was right, Silas recalled. The wolfskin and kitsune took care of most of the hunting, usually—but Keaton was recovering from an injury he’d sustained during the last castle invasion, and Kaden was visiting his daughter. “I see,” Silas replied. “That’s all right.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Mozu turned to leave.

“Hold on a second,” said Silas. “I have to thank you for helping me somehow. How about I help you with the hunting? It’s usually done in pairs, anyway.”

Mozu eyed him up and down in a way that was almost comical. “You sure?”

Born in a noble home as he was, roughing it had never been Silas’s strong suit. “I’ll admit that my experience with hunting is limited,” he said, scratching his neck awkwardly. “But I really would like to help, if I can.”

“Well, I do have some traps set up, so you should be able to help me check those.”

“Perfect!” Silas beamed. “After you, then.”

When they went to the armory to request some weapons for their hunt, Silas was surprised to see Mozu select a bow and quiver. “I didn’t know that you’re proficient with a bow,” he remarked.

“Yeah, I’m okay, I guess,” she said, fumbling with the quiver for a second. “I mostly used spears back home for fishing and hunting boars, but arrows are better for rabbits and squirrels.”

“Fair point.” Silas grabbed a spear and followed the woman out the door.

The grounds just beyond the castle walls were surprisingly rich with wildlife, despite the fact that Corrin’s army hunted there quite regularly. Mozu was sure-footed as a mountain goat as she weaved between the trees and undergrowth, Silas stumbling a few times as he did his best to keep up. The woman’s first trap had been successful, and Silas’s mood brightened at the prospect of being able to bring plenty of food back to the castle.

After a few more traps had been checked and they were moving on to the next, Mozu surprised Silas by raising a hand in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. “What—” Silas started.

“Shh!” Mozu silently readied her bow, drawing an arrow from her quiver and taking a few noiseless steps forward. Without moving, Silas craned his neck to look in the direction that the woman was staring. He finally spotted a rabbit at the base of a mouldering tree, digging through the dirt and leaves, completely unaware of their presence.

Silas eyed Mozu and, much to his chagrin, he immediately decided that the rabbit would get away. With Mozu’s confidence—or lack thereof—what were the chances that she could make the killshot? 

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

It was uncanny. Mozu’s hands and arms shook as she began to draw the bowstring taught, but the moment that she closed one eye and took aim at the animal far in front of her, the shaking stopped and her gaze grew steely. With a precision Silas had in no way expected, Mozu loosed her arrow. A squeal in the underbrush signaled that her shot was true. “Gotcha!” she whispered triumphantly.

Silas stared at Mozu with wide eyes as she skipped forward to fetch the downed creature. “What...” he began, but didn’t finish.

Mozu looked back at the knight. “Something wrong?”

“...No.” Silas shook his head, as if to clear it. “Nothing’s wrong.” He couldn’t help glancing at Mozu with a newfound respect as they continued on their expedition.

Once it was all over and they were making their way back to the armory, Silas finally had to ask her a question that had been on his tongue for the past couple of hours. “Where did _that_  come from?” he said.

Mozu glanced at him as she plunked her bow and quiver onto the counter before them. “Huh?”

“That. The arrow. The precision. It was amazing.”

Mozu blushed. “Oh, that wasn’t anything,” she mumbled. “I just hunt a lot, I guess.”

“You were incredible!” Silas insisted. “Where’s that confidence whenever we train together?”

Mozu squinted at him. “Well, sure, it’s about using weapons, but hunting’s different,” she argued. “I don’t want to kill people. I hunt to survive.” She turned abruptly and left the armory.

Silas dashed after her. “You also fight to keep yourself and those you care about alive,” he countered. “That’s about survival, too.”

Mozu stopped in her tracks and shook her head adamantly, arms crossed. “It’s different. I hate fighting.” They stood in silence for a few moments, the tension in the air almost palpable.

Eventually, Silas sighed and slowly shook his head. “I never meant to sound cold, Mozu. I’m sorry if it came across that way. It’s just...” He frowned to himself. “I’ve been training for combat for so much of my life that I find it difficult to empathize with you. Somewhere along the way, I guess I became desensitized to the idea of killing my enemies. Don’t get me wrong—” Silas glanced over at Mozu— “it does take a toll on me, ending a life. But I don’t hesitate to do it. I can’t.”

Mozu stared at him in contemplation. “I don’t think anyone could say that you’re a bad person,” she said eventually. “You seem really loyal. And dedicated to keeping the people you care about safe. Maybe we’re sort of the same in that way.” Her tone rose a bit at the end of her statement, making it sound like a question.

Silas laughed. “Maybe we are, in that sense. ...But you’re stronger than I am. Much stronger.”

Mozu started at that. “‘Stronger’? What do you mean?”

Silas’s expression turned serious. “You’re a survivor, Mozu. You’ve experienced more pain, more loss, more doubt than I have—and yet, here you are. You may not feel like much of a soldier, but you have enough fight in you to rival an entire army’s worth. I hope that you won’t forget that.” Silas smiled at her. “I really do admire you.”

Mozu’s entire face was a brilliant scarlet. “Gosh.... you’re just trying to sweet-talk me, aren’t you?” she accused.

“I don’t make a habit of lying.” Silas’s grin widened. “Of course, if you don’t believe me, I could continue to sing your praises.”

“Now wait just one minute—” Mozu protested weakly.

Silas wiggled his eyebrows. “You’re kind, humble—”

“H-hey—”

“Savvy, hardworking—”

“Stop!” said Mozu, hiding her face in her hands. 

Silas was worried that he’d gone too far, but his worries were assuaged when Mozu giggled to herself. The knight laughed along with her.

They began to walk towards the barracks. “You know, I was worried about our hunting trip today,” she said.

“Really? Why?”

Mozu bit her lip. “I just thought you’d be...scary? Kinda.” Mozu looked down at her clasped hands. “A well-to-do noble’s a world away from the people I grew up with. I’m just a farmhand, so sometimes I feel like you’re wasting your time being around me.”

“I wish you wouldn’t sell yourself short, Mozu.” Silas gave her a soft smile, and the woman flushed again.

“There you go again with your sweet-talking,” she muttered. Silas snickered.

Moments later, the pair reached a branch in the hallway where they had to part ways. “Well, I should change before dinner,” Silas said.

“Me, too,” replied Mozu, tugging on one of her pigtails again. “I’ll see you in the mess hall, I guess. Thanks—you know, for the help today.”

“It was my pleasure,” Silas said easily. The woman turned and began making her way down the hall. “Mozu.” Silas was surprised at himself. He hadn’t planned to say that.

She turned back around quickly. “Yeah?”

Silas released a breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Will you sit with me at dinner?” he said in a rush.

“O-oh, uh...” Mozu’s hands started to twist together in—excitement? Nervousness? Silas couldn’t tell. “Sure!” she finally said, a bit more loudly than she’d probably intended.

Now it was Silas’s turn to flush. He grinned in relief. “Good. I’ll be waiting.” He felt a fluttering in his stomach at the sight of the wide smile that Mozu flashed him in return.


End file.
